Tokely's Tips: Week Commencing

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Another very hot week with no rain in my area, so the hosepipe has been working overtime at home and my arms are increasing in length due to the amount of water I am carrying on the allotment.

This year my Delphiniums, Lupins and perennial Geraniums have been a picture. Some of the later blooms are still flowering, but those that have finished have been cut back. If this is done quite hard, it will encourage the plants to put out some new growth, which may reward me with a second flush of flowers this autumn, as well as keeping the borders looking smart.

Watering Base Of Drill

At the weekend I planted out my last sowing of runner beans. My early sowings of runner and French beans are now coming into flower. This week, to help keep my plot full as space becomes available, I am going to make some further sowings of dwarf French beans, along with some more chard, turnips and radish. When sowing seeds at this time of year when the soil is so dry, I like to water the base of each drill before sowing the seeds. I prefer to water the base of the drill where the seed requires it and then cover the sown seeds with dry soil to lock in the moisture below ground. I find this works better than watering the ground on top of sown drills because the soil can become capped and inhibit germination during hot dry spells.

I like to sow my lettuce in pots under glass every 2-3 weeks and then prick out (transplant) the required amount into modular trays to grow on before planting out on the plot. When the weather is warm, germination of lettuce seeds can be very hit and miss especially when the temperature is above 70F (21C). A handy tip is to put the packets of seed into the fridge the day before you wish to sow them, this will chill down the seed and germination is then much improved.

Dahlias Budding Up

The dahlias that were grown from tubers in my garden and on my neighbouring plot holders' are growing very well and are already throwing up flower buds. If you are looking for one large bloom at the top of each stem you will need to do some dis-budding. You will notice the buds come up in groups of three, the two lower buds should be nipped out, leaving the larger central bud to develop into a stronger, more flamboyant bloom.

My parents' roses have been flowering for a number of weeks now, but I have noticed quite a few of the flowers have started to fade. As this happens I keep deadheading their plants to stop the development of rose hips. I will also be giving the bushes a high potash feed to encourage more flowers. This feed can be applied as a granular Rose fertiliser sprinkled around the plants and watered in - or you could use a liquid feed such as tomato food.

This weekend I will be picking the first of my tomatoes from the hanging basket variety Tumbling Tom that I sowed and planted into baskets earlier in the year. My other tomato plants in the cold greenhouse are also growing very well and are starting to set fruit on the lower trusses. This is now the ideal time to start feeding them once a week with a high potash tomato food. A sure sign that tomatoes are growing well is the curling of the leaves at the top of the plant, which looks like a clenched fist. Often gardeners see this and think something is wrong, but it isn't, it is just a sign that the plants are growing well.

Bearded irises flowered early this year, so once these plants have completely finished flowering they should be lifted carefully with a fork. Once lifted, cut away old dormant growth and any dead or diseased foliage and old flower stalks and throw this away .You can then keep the vigorous young green offshoots. Trim back their foliage by half into an arrow-shape to help reduce moisture loss and then replant in an area of the garden where they will get full sun. Bearded irises should be planted quite shallowly so the rhizomes sit just on the soil surface, so they can get sun baked for better flowering.

Finally this week I have been glad of some help from my son with the watering. He has been in charge of watering the sunflowers, marrows, pumpkins and the Walking Stick Kale. Let's hope we get some rain soon otherwise his arms will be nearly as long as mine. Keeping these plants well watered will encourage them to grow big and strong for our local show competitions later in the year, and the thought of some extra pocket money is always a good incentive.

Tokely's Topical Tips

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